Last night it unexpectedly began to snow…and snow and snow. This morning we were shrouded in a foot of soft, white silence. Trees bowed under the weight, bent almost double, forming arches and bowers. Power cables and phone lines stretched to within a couple of inches of Robert’s head. Huge wet snowflakes fell, fell, fell.

the farm lane in heavy snow this morning

The dogs are beside themselves with snow excitement.

...and this afternoon we bring out the snow plough!

This afternoon we dig ourselves out with the help of the trusty bobcat. Half a mile of steep lane needs to be cleared.

olly clearing snow from the lane

And shovelling.

the view across to Dartmoor from the top of our lane

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Locks Park Farm

Thanks for visiting my blog. All entries are presented in chronological order.

I have a small organic farm on the Culm grasslands near Hatherleigh in Devon, with sheep and beef cattle. I've been farming in the county for more than 30 years. I've set up this blog to share views on farming and the countryside - please do give your thoughts.

CPRE

The Campaign to Protect Rural England has helped set up this blog. We want farming to thrive in England, and believe that it is essential that people understand farming and farmers better in order for that to happen. Paula's views expressed here are her own and we won't necessarily share all of them, but we're happy to have helped give her a voice.

Find our more about CPRE and our views on food and farming at our website, www.cpre.org.uk

been thinking about you, every day, hoping you are OK & sending warm & friendly thoughts.

Snow has been a nightmare here; have been snowed in for almost a week now. No point in clearing the driveway as it’s over half-a-mile long; very steep; snowcomes again each evening; & there’s only me & my trusty spade to do the work.

Fortunately I stocked up with animal fodder & firewood etc as soon as I learned it could get bad. Wasn’t quite expecting this duration, though! unlikely I’ll get out for a few more days yet….pah.

Will blog as soon as I get a chance (aka break from shovelling snow, slogging through chores & baling out from burst pipes). Sometimes it really does feel like “not waving but drowning”….literally.

elizabethm – I seem to be working backwards on comments at the moment! I’m overcome by peoples’ kindness and concern.
As I’m sure your family down here have told you – the snow was engulfed by 24 hours of every conceivable type of wet stuff coming out of the skies – what with that and snow melt floods were rife.
But today is glorious – sun and blue skies – a treat.

Jo I feel for you, I really do…it’s no fun being alone when everything is a hard slog – and working with stock in snow and freezing conditions certainly is a slog and exhausting. Are you milking at the moment too? As I guess that is another very difficult thing to manage especially if lines become frozen.

You have my thoughts behind you to give you the energy and will to battle on. Are you clear yet? Or have you been drowned under persistent rain and snow melt not to mention the burst pipes?

The sheep look like Musk ox up in the Arctic!!
Wow!
Iam happy as hell to see you back.
My thoughts have been with you, wondering how you were, but not wanting to be intrusive by emailing you, so lots of good thoughts instead.
What is it with dogs and the fresh snow happy dance? Our old lab Bob would go berzerk when it snowed, he loved it!snuffling in it, rollling, diving into banks until all you could see was his black tail sticking out. He loved to chase and eat snowballs…
Hope all are well, no broken pipes, over flowing watering basins, or ice skating in the barns..Hooves make crappy ice skates I have found…